﻿Coi,sNSo. 
  — 
  On 
  a 
  better 
  KnonApiJiji' 
  of 
  the 
  Manr! 
  I'lacc. 
  03 
  

  

  Then 
  they 
  dihgently 
  sought 
  out 
  among 
  themselves 
  a 
  fearless 
  and 
  

   courageous 
  man, 
  when 
  a 
  chief 
  named 
  Pikata 
  presented 
  himself 
  and 
  was 
  

   selected. 
  He 
  seized 
  the 
  water-trap, 
  which 
  was 
  decorated 
  on 
  the 
  top 
  and 
  

   sides 
  and 
  below 
  with 
  bunches 
  of 
  pigeons' 
  feathers; 
  the 
  ropes, 
  also, 
  were 
  all 
  

   fastened 
  around 
  the 
  trap, 
  to 
  which 
  stones 
  were 
  also 
  made 
  fast 
  all 
  round 
  it, 
  

   to 
  make 
  it 
  heavy 
  and 
  to 
  act 
  as 
  an 
  anchor 
  and 
  to 
  keep 
  it 
  steady 
  ; 
  and, 
  having 
  

   seized 
  it, 
  he 
  plunged 
  into 
  the 
  water 
  with 
  his 
  companions, 
  when 
  they 
  boldly 
  

   dived 
  down 
  into 
  the 
  spring 
  which 
  gushed 
  up 
  with 
  a 
  roaring 
  noise 
  from 
  

   beneath 
  the 
  earth. 
  While 
  these 
  were 
  diving 
  below 
  the 
  others 
  above 
  were 
  

   diligently 
  employed 
  in 
  performing 
  their 
  several 
  works, 
  viz., 
  of 
  reciting 
  

   powerful 
  charms 
  and 
  spells,* 
  of 
  which 
  they 
  uttered 
  all 
  they 
  knew 
  of 
  various 
  

   kinds 
  and 
  powers, 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  overcoming 
  the 
  monster. 
  

  

  Now 
  it 
  came 
  to 
  pass 
  that, 
  when 
  the 
  spines 
  and 
  spear-like 
  crest 
  of 
  the 
  

   monster 
  had 
  become 
  soft 
  and 
  flaccid, 
  through 
  the 
  power 
  of 
  those 
  spells 
  and 
  

   charjns, 
  for 
  they 
  had 
  been 
  all 
  erect 
  and 
  alive 
  in 
  full 
  expectation 
  of 
  a 
  

   rare 
  cannibal 
  feast, 
  Pitaka 
  and 
  his 
  chosen 
  companions 
  descended 
  to 
  the 
  

   very 
  bottom 
  of 
  the 
  chasm 
  ; 
  there 
  they 
  found 
  the 
  monster 
  dwelling 
  in 
  its 
  

   own 
  nice 
  home 
  ; 
  then 
  the 
  brave 
  Pitaka 
  went 
  forwards, 
  quite 
  up 
  to 
  it, 
  coax- 
  

   ing 
  and 
  enticing, 
  and 
  bound 
  the 
  rope 
  firmly 
  around 
  the 
  monster 
  ; 
  which 
  

   having 
  done, 
  lo 
  ! 
  in 
  a 
  twinkhng, 
  he 
  (Pitaka) 
  had 
  clean 
  escaped 
  behind 
  it 
  ! 
  

   Then 
  his 
  companions 
  pulled 
  the 
  rope, 
  and 
  those 
  at 
  the 
  top 
  knew 
  the 
  sign, 
  

   and 
  hauled 
  away, 
  and 
  drew 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  top 
  their 
  companions, 
  together 
  with 
  

   the 
  monster, 
  so 
  that 
  they 
  all 
  came 
  uj) 
  at 
  one 
  time. 
  Nevertheless, 
  those 
  

   above 
  had 
  also 
  recited 
  all 
  manner 
  of 
  charms 
  for 
  the 
  purposes 
  of 
  raising, 
  

   lifting, 
  and 
  upbearing 
  of 
  heavy 
  weights, 
  otherwise 
  they 
  could 
  not 
  have 
  

   hauled 
  them 
  all 
  up, 
  owing 
  to 
  their 
  very 
  great 
  weight. 
  

  

  For 
  a 
  while, 
  however, 
  they 
  were 
  all 
  below 
  ; 
  then 
  they 
  came 
  upwards 
  by 
  

   degrees, 
  and 
  at 
  last 
  they 
  floated 
  all 
  together 
  on 
  the 
  surface. 
  Ere 
  long 
  they 
  

   had 
  dragged 
  the 
  monster 
  on 
  shore 
  on 
  to 
  the 
  diy 
  land, 
  v/here 
  it 
  lay 
  extended; 
  

   then 
  they 
  hastened 
  to 
  hit 
  and 
  beat 
  with 
  their 
  clubs 
  the 
  jaws 
  of 
  this 
  immense 
  

   fish. 
  NoAV 
  this 
  monster 
  had 
  the 
  nearer 
  resemblance 
  to 
  a 
  fish, 
  because 
  it 
  

   had 
  its 
  habitation 
  in 
  the 
  water. 
  

  

  * 
  Upwards 
  of 
  ten 
  kinds 
  of 
  spells 
  are 
  here, 
  and 
  in 
  other 
  parts 
  of 
  these 
  stories, 
  parti- 
  

   cularly 
  mentioned 
  by 
  name 
  ; 
  but 
  as 
  we 
  have 
  nothing 
  synonymous 
  in 
  English, 
  their 
  names 
  

   cannot 
  be 
  well 
  translated, 
  and 
  it 
  would 
  take 
  as 
  many 
  pages 
  of 
  MS. 
  to 
  explain 
  them. 
  

   Among 
  them 
  were 
  spells 
  causing 
  weariness 
  to 
  the 
  foe, 
  spells 
  for 
  the 
  spearing 
  of 
  taniwhas 
  

   (monsters), 
  spells 
  for 
  the 
  warding 
  off 
  attack, 
  and 
  for 
  the 
  protection 
  of 
  the 
  men 
  from 
  the 
  

   enemy 
  ; 
  spells 
  for 
  causing 
  bravery, 
  for 
  returning 
  like-for-like 
  in 
  attack, 
  for 
  uplifting 
  feet 
  

   from 
  ground, 
  for 
  making 
  powerless, 
  etc., 
  etc., 
  all 
  more 
  or 
  loss 
  curious, 
  but 
  mostly 
  very 
  

   simple 
  in 
  terms. 
  Of 
  spells 
  and 
  charms, 
  exorcisms 
  and 
  incantations 
  — 
  for 
  good 
  or 
  for 
  ill- 
  

   luck, 
  for 
  blessing 
  and 
  cursing 
  — 
  the 
  ancient 
  New 
  Zealander 
  possessed 
  hundreds, 
  ingeniously 
  

   contrived 
  for 
  almost 
  every 
  pm'pose 
  ; 
  few, 
  however, 
  if 
  any, 
  of 
  them 
  could 
  be 
  termed 
  prayers. 
  

   Such 
  form 
  a 
  bulky 
  liistory 
  of 
  themselves, 
  

  

  